PRS-505 useable screen space

Dan23 · 02-19-2008, 06:16 PM

Hi. I just went to a Borders to see a Sony PRS-505 and I am considering buying one. In the top right of the screen the title of the book is written on every page. Is there a way to get rid of that so there is an extra line of actual book text on top? I did not see a way to do so in the settings but maybe I missed something (or maybe it is possible to do when creating a book). Also, is there a way to get rid of the black bar with the page numbers at the bottom and put book text there?

NatCh · 02-19-2008, 06:44 PM

The header you're talking about is built into the book, so with Sony's books, you're kinda stuck with them. However, when you make your own, you can certainly leave that out, and you can reduce the margins too. Have a look at the books in the e-book upload section here for some variety of what can be done.

The black bar at the bottom we're pretty much stuck with so far.

Dan23 · 02-19-2008, 07:07 PM

Thanks, that is good to know. I don't have a Reader yet so I can't check the books already made except in lrfviewer. Does it actually turn out that you get an extra line out of created books? Is the way it looks in lrfviewer is exactly the same as how it looks on the Sony?

NatCh · 02-19-2008, 07:11 PM

I'm not actually sure about that ... I've never specifically checked.

I haven't used lrfviewer, but Sony's ebookLibrary software displays LRF "pages" just as they appear on the Reader. The font looks bigger is all, because the pages are scaled to your monitor, which is most likely larger than 6" diagonal.

JSWolf · 02-19-2008, 09:14 PM

You can convert other formats and format them how you want as well.

Valloric · 02-19-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan23

Thanks, that is good to know. I don't have a Reader yet so I can't check the books already made except in lrfviewer. Does it actually turn out that you get an extra line out of created books? Is the way it looks in lrfviewer is exactly the same as how it looks on the Sony?

If you really want to see what a LRF file will look like on the Reader, get the Connect eBook Library from Sony. Lrfviewer is imprecise and does not show you the headers and the footers...

But yeah, the fonts look huge on the screen compared to the Reader, I have noticed that too. It's simply a perception trick.

wallcraft · 02-19-2008, 11:55 PM

The Kindle also writes the title and author at the top of the screen, and in this case there is no way to remove it (see Font Sizes). The iLiad does not, even though it has more screen space, see Mobipocket Font Switcher and similarly for FBReader on the iLiad. FBReader has a full screen mode (nothing but text as close to the screen edge as you like), which I use on other devices but it does not work on the iLiad (you can enter full screen mode but can't get out again).

Dan23 · 02-20-2008, 12:36 AM

Thanks for the help. I just tried out libprs500 and then checked what I made in Connect eBook Library. It seems you can adjust the margins - even to 0. If anyone has tried how does 0 margins all around look on the Reader. Are there any ideal margin settings (and other relevant settings) for libprs500 anyone recommends?

HarryT · 02-20-2008, 02:59 AM

When I create books for the Sony I use a 10 pixel margin all round - that's a couple of mm on the actual device. That's what looks "right" to me, but that's purely my personal preference.

dhbailey · 02-20-2008, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan23

Thanks, that is good to know. I don't have a Reader yet so I can't check the books already made except in lrfviewer. Does it actually turn out that you get an extra line out of created books? Is the way it looks in lrfviewer is exactly the same as how it looks on the Sony?

You can install the software (download it for free from the Sony web-site) and you can get a pretty good idea of what things can look like.

kacir · 02-20-2008, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan23

Hi. Is there a way to get rid of that so there is an extra line of actual book text on top?

The best solution is to crete your own book, if you can get the text in other form than DRM protected book purchased from Sony. You can also format your books to have very small left and right margins, so you can use all that wonderful display to display your text.

You can download special tools for creating your own books, or you can simply use any word processor (my favourite is OpenOffice.org writer) to create an rtf file. You should experiment with different settings so you can make books that are just perfect for you.

JSWolf · 02-20-2008, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan23

Thanks for the help. I just tried out libprs500 and then checked what I made in Connect eBook Library. It seems you can adjust the margins - even to 0. If anyone has tried how does 0 margins all around look on the Reader. Are there any ideal margin settings (and other relevant settings) for libprs500 anyone recommends?

Personally, I prefer a margin of 0 all around. I like to have the most on screen that I can. I don't find 0 too close to the edges. But it is personal preference. What I like is different then what Harry likes and what you like might be different that what we both like. So just experiment until you figure out what works for you.

The emulator that is part of eBook Library while very good, does not give you a proper sence of margins for trying out no margins. The only way to get a true sense of margins is to create the same eBook with different margins and have a look on an actual 505. If you have an SD card hanging about you can put the eBooks on the SD card and go to a Borders or SonyStyle store and see how they look and what you feel works best for you. But this is assuming you are in the USA and have access to a Borders or SonyStyle.

Ret · 02-20-2008, 04:26 PM

I wonder if the black "status" bar in the lower part of the screen can be changed. I mean if there's a known "hack" for that. Maybe for the 500?

JSWolf · 02-20-2008, 04:31 PM

Not that anyone has so far found.

curtw · 02-20-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan23

Thanks for the help. I just tried out libprs500 and then checked what I made in Connect eBook Library. It seems you can adjust the margins - even to 0. If anyone has tried how does 0 margins all around look on the Reader. Are there any ideal margin settings (and other relevant settings) for libprs500 anyone recommends?

Even a "0" margin leaves what looks like enough space for a full line of text at the bottom.

However, etexts from fictionwise.com, when formatted in LRF, pretty much fill up the whole screen. I've sent an e-mail to their tech support, asking what software and settings they use, but I'm not holding my breath while I wait for an answer.

02-19-2008, 06:16 PM	#1
Dan23 Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: Scribe, Paperwhite 6.8"	PRS-505 useable screen space Hi. I just went to a Borders to see a Sony PRS-505 and I am considering buying one. In the top right of the screen the title of the book is written on every page. Is there a way to get rid of that so there is an extra line of actual book text on top? I did not see a way to do so in the settings but maybe I missed something (or maybe it is possible to do when creating a book). Also, is there a way to get rid of the black bar with the page numbers at the bottom and put book text there?

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02-19-2008, 06:44 PM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	The header you're talking about is built into the book, so with Sony's books, you're kinda stuck with them. However, when you make your own, you can certainly leave that out, and you can reduce the margins too. Have a look at the books in the e-book upload section here for some variety of what can be done. The black bar at the bottom we're pretty much stuck with so far.

02-19-2008, 07:07 PM	#3
Dan23 Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: Scribe, Paperwhite 6.8"	Thanks, that is good to know. I don't have a Reader yet so I can't check the books already made except in lrfviewer. Does it actually turn out that you get an extra line out of created books? Is the way it looks in lrfviewer is exactly the same as how it looks on the Sony?

02-19-2008, 07:11 PM	#4
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'm not actually sure about that ... I've never specifically checked. I haven't used lrfviewer, but Sony's ebookLibrary software displays LRF "pages" just as they appear on the Reader. The font looks bigger is all, because the pages are scaled to your monitor, which is most likely larger than 6" diagonal.

02-19-2008, 09:14 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,235 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	You can convert other formats and format them how you want as well.

02-19-2008, 11:55 PM	#7
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The Kindle also writes the title and author at the top of the screen, and in this case there is no way to remove it (see Font Sizes). The iLiad does not, even though it has more screen space, see Mobipocket Font Switcher and similarly for FBReader on the iLiad. FBReader has a full screen mode (nothing but text as close to the screen edge as you like), which I use on other devices but it does not work on the iLiad (you can enter full screen mode but can't get out again).

02-20-2008, 12:36 AM	#8
Dan23 Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 600000 Join Date: Sep 2007 Device: Scribe, Paperwhite 6.8"	Thanks for the help. I just tried out libprs500 and then checked what I made in Connect eBook Library. It seems you can adjust the margins - even to 0. If anyone has tried how does 0 margins all around look on the Reader. Are there any ideal margin settings (and other relevant settings) for libprs500 anyone recommends?

02-20-2008, 02:59 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	When I create books for the Sony I use a 10 pixel margin all round - that's a couple of mm on the actual device. That's what looks "right" to me, but that's purely my personal preference.

02-20-2008, 04:26 PM	#13
Ret Connoisseur Posts: 81 Karma: 480 Join Date: Dec 2004	I wonder if the black "status" bar in the lower part of the screen can be changed. I mean if there's a known "hack" for that. Maybe for the 500?

02-20-2008, 04:31 PM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,235 Karma: 145488788 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Not that anyone has so far found.

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